Russia pounds Syria’s Idlib after efforts to prevent offensive fail

The monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said nearly 60 Russian air raids hit Syria’s Idlib province near the Turkish border in less than three hours Saturday, killing four civilians, AFP reports. Idlib and nearby areas are the last major rebel stronghold in Syria. The spike in violence came after Russia and fellow Assad regime ally Iran failed to reach an agreement with Turkey, a backer of rebels in the area, on averting a Syrian government offensive.